Plane Crash Into Deland Publix Severely Burns Two

DELAND, Fla. -- Police and sheriff's officials in Volusia County confirm that a single-engine plane has crashed into a Publix in DeLand.

The crash occurred at the Northgate Shopping Center in the 200 block of International Speedway Boulevard about 7:30 p.m.

DeLand fire officials said five people were injured. Three of those injured were burn patients, and two of them were airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center with third-degree burns, according to fire department officials. It was not known how badly the other two victims were injured.

Chopper 2's Dan McCarthy spoke with the pilot of a medical transport helicopter used at the scene who said the plane was an experimental aircraft that took off from DeLand and suffered engine failure. The pilot said the two people who were airlifted to ORMC were the only two on board the plane and had burns that did not appear to be life-threatening.

Witnesses at the scene described seeing the plane sputter, hit the building and burst into flames not far from a municipal airport. Fire from the plane was extinguished about an hour after the crash.